Point Pinos Lighthouse

Point Pinos Lighthouse

Point Pinos Lighthouse Pixabay Public Domain

Point Pinos Lighthouse Pixabay Public Domain

A Piece of American Maritime History.

Welcome to Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States. This lighthouse was first established in 1855 and is still actively being used by the United States Coast Gaurd, and is also a well-known landmark on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places list.

The Victorian-era building is set on the northernmost tip of the rocky Monterey Peninsula coast, it's entirety known as 'an emblem of Pacific Grove'.

While here your group will be able to self tour the facility, including the living quarters and tower itself. There are highly informed docents onsite to help answer any questions you may have along the way. You will learn all about the highly interesting history of the lighthouse, from its original keeper Charles Layton to its original source of energy from whale oil. The stories of the lighthouse keepers are particularly interesting, one of our favorites being the story of Emily Fish, known as the 'Socialite Lighthouse Keeper', as she held many public functions here at the lighthouse. You will be able to see the equipment used, the original Fresnel Lens and various prisms still used today, casting light 17 miles out into the Pacific.